“Blackberry Rag” is credited to R.W. Durden and was first recorded in 1931 by the Three Stripped Gears, an old-time string band in which Durden played mandolin. The tune later reached a wider audience through Doc Watson, who took it into his flatpicking repertoire.
As its title suggests, the piece is a rag — an instrumental in the ragtime manner, adapted to the string-band and flatpicking idiom. It should not be confused with the better-known “Blackberry Blossom”; it is a distinct tune with its own syncopated character.
This recording features the guitarist Doc Watson, whose flatpicking helped carry many old-time tunes to new listeners. It appears on his album “Good Deal! Doc Watson in Nashville.”
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